Women's Empowerment Series | Natasha Smyth

 

1. Tell us a little about yourself please! 

I grew up in the Barrie area and married my kindergarten boyfriend after years of the universe constantly bringing us back into each other's lives. I currently work as a registered massage therapist, reiki practitioner and tarot card reader in Midland, Orillia and Barrie. I have a psychology degree from Laurentian University but completed most of my undergrad in Ottawa. I believe by addressing individual client needs in a holistic way, you can help reduce stress and increase client comfort in order to maintain a healthy mind, body and soul. In my spare time I am the busy mom of three little ones under the age of ten. I am a Capricorn, 3/5 Generator, Enneagram 1, words are my love language and I enjoy practicing yoga and give it so much credit for helping to transform my mindset.

You can almost always find me with my family, listening to podcasts or audiobooks, learning human design, redecorating spaces and I believe a good morning routine brings happiness throughout the day. I also really love plants, gardening, watching football with my husband and chasing sunsets. I believe our bodies tell the story of our lives and that healing encompasses the physical, mental and spiritual bodies.

2. What's one story, a limiting belief, that you used to believe but don't anymore?

I used to believe that money would always control my choices and that the amount of money I had amounted to my success as a human being. But I am a successful human being despite the number in my bank account, and I know money is an energy that I am grateful to receive in abundance.

3. Can you remember where the old belief came from/what kept the story alive?

The beliefs come from early childhood. I believe like most self limiting beliefs and my own beliefs around success grew from those beliefs until they became the negative and scarce foundation for how I defined myself.

4. How did believing this old story impact your life, personally and/or professionally?

This old story held me back from truly living. It kept me playing small, people pleasing, chronically anxious, lonely and depressed. I doubted myself and never believed I was worthy of wealth or abundance. It kept me from taking chances on myself, I was in constant fight or flight and it took away my ability to be in the moment.

5. How did you change your outlook on this story?

When I found out we were pregnant with our third and final baby after years of unexplained infertility I knew I wanted to birth them into the world in a healthy and positive state of mind. During my pregnancy the pandemic was very much everywhere, it made my work life heavy and I burned out hard. It was that moment, crying on the floor in my kitchen that I decided to choose myself. I took an early maternity leave (my first one) and I made a promise to myself and my baby that things were going to change. For me it started with a journal, affirmations and gratitude.

6. What would your life have looked like today if you still believed that story?

Reading this question made my heart sink. I don't like to go back to that dark place very often, I don't like spending time thinking about the what if's. I will say it was amazing for me to realize that you don't have to live everyday with crippling and debilitating anxiety; and that in just one year, by making little and consistent changes my life would transform so positively into the life and mental health I always wanted but for so long just seemed impossibly out of reach.

7. What is the new story you tell yourself and live by today?

My new story or the story I am living out currently are all the things I manifested in the last few years and that gives me the ultimate butterflies. My life is far from perfect but it is simple, good, full of love and it brings me so much happiness. I know I am capable of anything I set my mind to.

8. Why is personal growth and empowerment important to you?

Personal growth and empowerment are so important because I believe they are the big foundational pieces for birthing confidence and self confidence changes everything. You become magnetic to calling in all of the abundance you desire.

9. How do you maintain your empowerment when experiencing obstacles or difficulties?

This one took a lot of practice but I continuously envision the life I want to live and do my best to make habits and choices based on what that version of myself would do. I have my own routines and rituals that when things get hard my ego tries to convince me I don't need but coming back to those on the hard days is always so powerful, transformative and worth it. Hard and bad things aren't happening to me they are happening for me, so staying neutral until it all plays out has also been a game changer.

10. What does being a strong woman mean to you?

Being a strong woman to me means standing up and supporting all women. It is showing up with integrity, kindness, compassion and love. It is opening your heart and your mind to others ideas and opinions. It is continuously showing up for others and yourself. A strong woman leads by example and does so quietly for she is not in it for the recognition or the glory but to change the hearts and minds of other women, to show them we can all have it all, together.

11. How has personal growth, and doing the inner work, positively impacted your life?

Personal growth and doing the hard inner work has completely changed me on a cellular level it feels like. I owe a lot of this to my coach and mentor for the past year, Becca Nicholls. Doing this work has brought me on a journey of truly falling in love and accepting myself for the first time in my life. I look at everything differently. My self awareness is unmatched and I know this is just the beginning.

12. Who is a woman that inspires you? What makes her stand out?

A woman that inspires me is my coach/mentor Becca Nicholls. Her integrity, soul, confidence, work ethic, personality - it all inspires me to be my best self and to never ever settle. Marley Rose Harris is another woman who inspires me, how she transformed herself from rock bottom, her huge heart, how she created and grew two successful multi figure businesses, to travelling the world. I feel like I have learned so much from these two women in the past year and I am eternally grateful.

13. What makes your heart beam and how do you follow that light?

My work and my family make my heart beam. I follow the light by being true to who I am, following my strong intuition, creating boundaries that feel right in my soul and stepping outside of my comfort zone to challenge myself and to push myself to new limits of growth. I don't like to put myself into any kind of box, I like to see how creative I can be with something and I think that always makes the light feel a little brighter.

14. What message or advice do you have for other women who are ready to dismantle a limiting belief?

Rewrite that limiting belief every darn day and say it out loud to yourself until you believe it. Hire a coach/mentor that feels right in your soul to help you until you do believe that you hold all of the power to be or do anything you want in this life. The first step is actually truly believing you are deserving though otherwise all the other work is a waste of time and you will continuously block yourself and your dreams.

15. What quote/book/song best represents the current chapter you're in?

"No one is you that is your superpower"

You can find Natasha on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/natashasmyth_/